She hadn’t settled. She absolutely hadn’t settled, and it was because she loved this part of the Californian coastline that she could understand Eden’s reluctance to leave it, but having fun wasn’t a job. And if it was fun she wanted, why reject college? Mel had loved college. She’d had her first legal drink, smoked pot and done a ton of things you were supposed to do when you were young, danced until her feet hurt, talked until her jaw hurt, had lots of sex with Greg (although to be fair she’d been doing that since she was sixteen so that was more of the same, although the same was good), and then she’d trained as a CPA, and started work in the café using her business skills. And maybe that wasn’t exactly fun, but it was a stable job and that was something to be grateful for. Having fun didn’t pay the rent. Having fun didn’t guarantee you a secure future, and surely wanting that for her only child didn’t make her a bad mother?

Maybe instead of a novel, she should buy a book on parenting.

“Got anything on managing difficult teenagers?” She peered over the counter where Mary-Lou was retrieving books from a box.

“Mel!” Mary-Lou scrambled to her feet, red-faced from exertion. “Eden again?”

“If you feel the ground shaking around here folks assume it’s an earthquake, but not in my house. At home we call it an Eden-quake. I had to call in the police.”

“That bad?” Mary-Lou grinned. “And did the officer involved make an arrest?”

“Fortunately Greg’s an expert on de-escalation tactics in crisis situations, which is the reason we’re all still alive and none of the hostages were harmed. I married him for his negotiation skills. He’s the most reasonable, patient man I’ve ever met.”

Mary-Lou straightened her dress. “Who was the hostage?”

“Depends who’s asking.” Mel picked up a leaflet from the counter and then put it back. “I finished that thriller you recommended. It was good, although Greg tells me there is no way they could have discovered all that from a corpse that old.”

“That’s what you talk about over dinner? Corpses? Romantic. I guess you’ve run out of things to talk about after all these years.”

“We’re keeping it real.” Mel grinned. “And we can’t flirt or talk sexy with Eden there, although now I think of it that’s a perfect way to clear the room.” She filed that idea away for later use and Mary-Lou shook her head.

“He’s a keeper, that’s for sure. The community is lucky to have him looking out for us. And so are you.”

“I know.” Mel glanced at the shelves. “So what do I read next? What have you got for me?”